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Unless otherwise indicated, all photos featured on the blog were taken by me. All Rights Reserved Singapore Actually 2022
Tag Archives: family
Thinking of My Uncle A Today & Wishing him All the Joy in the World
He looks way younger than his years and I have always admired how he works hard at being active. He has always been adventurous in his youth so perhaps it’s no surprise that he still has the stamina. He has … Continue reading
Revelations by my Youngest Uncle
Uncle S related that it’s very hard for him to recollect a lot of the past as he has memory lapses due to the seizures he suffers from. But I appreciate that he did try very hard to share his … Continue reading
Posted in Culture & Society, family, History, Singapore Living
Tagged Ceylon, family, Jaffna, Life, Living, youngest uncle
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My Childhood: Garden Stories & Jaffna Cousins
I miss our small tropical garden. Of course, as these things go, I didn’t appreciate it till it was reduced to just a tiny patch devoid of any fruit trees. I miss the Japanese roses my mum tended to in … Continue reading
Posted in family, History, Midlife Musings, My Childhood, Singapore Living
Tagged childhood, cousins, family, Jaffna, Life, memories, Singapore, suicide
1 Comment
Fried Mutton with Potatoes
My mum learnt how to cook various ceylonese dishes, observing my grandma. Back then she mostly did the menial work like cutting up and grinding stuff. You could say, she was sous chef to the chef (grandma) and she started … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Culture & Society, family, Singapore Living
Tagged ceylonese, Cooking, family, fried mutton, grandma, Life, Living, mum, Singapore
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My Eldest Cousin M
Been thinking a lot about my cousin M lately. To be accurate, he’s never left my mind. After he passed away in his sleep in 1995 (he was only 37 years old and it was attributed to an epileptic fit) … Continue reading
Typical Day in the Life of My Mum in the early 1960’s
She couldn’t recall exactly what time she woke up, but it was to the crowing of the neighbourhood roosters and not an alarm clock. They were extremely loud she said. She ironed her uniform the day before. Once adorned, she … Continue reading
Posted in Culture & Society, family, History, Singapore Living
Tagged 1960, 1960's, culture, family, history, Life, Living, mum, personal, Singapore
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Family Ties: Aunts, Uncles & Cousins
I recently asked my uncle how he felt when his son was just born. “Were you nervous being a father now? Nervous about having to carry a baby.” He said not really, and then I realised my baby cousin (I … Continue reading
Posted in Culture & Society, family, History, Singapore Living
Tagged aunts, ceylonese, cousins, culture, family, Life, Living, personal, Singapore, uncles
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What I Admired Most About My Father (My Darling Papa)
I decided to pose the same question to myself and found myself floored. The word admiration seemed so distant and didn’t quite cover it. A primary school composition answer would be “He was the most handsome and intelligent person to … Continue reading
Posted in family, Grief, Midlife Musings, Singapore Living, Trauma
Tagged family, father, gratitude, grief, love, papa
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When Was Your First Plane Ride?
I posed this question to my family members. For me it was at age 10 (my sister was 9) on board a very rickety Garuda Airline to Medan, Indonesia and we saw the beautiful Lake Toba. For my mum it … Continue reading
Posted in family, Midlife Musings, Travel
Tagged air travel, airline, family, first time, plane
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One on One is Best for Me
Since the pandemic I realise more and more that I’m more comfortable having one on one conversations. No small talk for me. Life is too short for that. It’s why I find making new friends hard. I also don’t have … Continue reading
Posted in family, Joy, Midlife Musings
Tagged family, introvert, Life, Living, pandemic, personal
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Asking My 79 Year Old Uncle about his Childhood
My uncle used to swim in the Kallang River and rushed back home by 5.30pm when his father (the grandfather I never met, as he died a decade before I was born) would be home. My uncle (second eldest son … Continue reading
Posted in History, Singapore Living
Tagged 1950’s, childhood, family, grandparents, history, Life, Living
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#5. Simple Joys: Encouraging texts about my writing from mum, partner, uncle and aunties
This is a huge one and I appreciate every word so much. I often keep screenshots to look at so that I can feel happy when I’m down. It’s almost like a letter from the past. I have kept all … Continue reading
Fascinated by Salman Rushdie revealing the best period of his life
If I could go back and relive any time in my life, I’d start in 1979. I was just finishing Midnight’s Children and my first son was about to be born. In fact, I remember telling his mother to just … Continue reading
One of My Mum’s proudest moments as a kid back in 1957
My mum always told me the story of how she failed primary 3 and had to repeat it. Every time, she sounded so sad and dejected. She only failed by 1.5 marks too and she was a sickly child. We … Continue reading
Posted in Midlife Musings
Tagged Amma, colonial, family, history, love, mother, personal, values
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What are the three best decisions you’ve ever made?
I keep dwelling on decisions I regret so I am keen to do this more positive exercise instead. In real time. That is, whatever I type right now will be published unedited. 1. Immediately I think of travel. There is … Continue reading
Posted in Midlife Musings
Tagged childhood, family, Life, mother, personal, thoughts
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Feel So Happy Meeting with Two of My Cousins After Almost 4 Years
I have social anxiety, but I don’t feel it with people I’m comfortable with like my cousins. I practically saw them grow up, being the much older cousin. They were the cutest toddlers. It’s true what they say about cousins … Continue reading
Conversations About The Second World War
We mentioned to my almost 86 year old uncle that we recently visited the National Museum. There was an exhibit about the Second World War and Japanese Occupation of Singapore. It made him recollect: “When we heard the sirens we … Continue reading
Posted in Midlife Musings, Singapore Living
Tagged education, family, grief, history, Japanese occupation, memories, old Singapore, personal, thoughts, War
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Catching the Sunrise
I am so glad we can now walk outside without our masks. It feels so liberating to be able to take a slow walk and breathe in the fresh morning air. Oh and a glimpse of that orange blue skyline … Continue reading
Posted in Midlife Musings, Singapore Living
Tagged beautiful, family, Life, Living, photography, photos, Singapore, walking
2 Comments
Seeking Blogs Worth Reading in 2022: Whimsical, Genuine, Uncluttered & Well Crafted
It’s really hard to maintain a blog over the years. Several I have adored have left the scene and sadly been abandoned. They had so much potential too. So here I am seeking some new ones. As I have been … Continue reading
Dreams for My Blog
If I won the lottery tomorrow (won’t happen because I don’t even buy those things), I’d still want to continue writing and that includes blogging. I would then feel rich enough to pay a web developer for a redesign, but … Continue reading
Posted in Blogging & Writing
Tagged Art, blog, blogging, family, Life, Living, personal, photography, Singapore, thoughts, travel
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